Category: Therapeutics
Orchard Therapeutics’ 2019: Pipeline progress, breaking ground on its $90M manufacturing site
Health software startup PatientPing plans to hire 100, doubling size in 2019
Adagene Announces Collaboration for Discovery of Novel CAR-T with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Sana Biotechnology Launches Focusing on Engineering Cells to Create a New Class of Medicines
Avidity Biosciences’ Arthur A. Levin Publishes Review of Therapeutic Approaches of Targeting RNA in the New England Journal of Medicine
Mercy Health Network Partners with PatientPing to Improve Transitions of Care Across Iowa
Precision BioSciences Appoints Rare Disease Executive Shalini Sharp to Its Board of Directors
DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec 20, 2018–Precision BioSciences, a genome editing company dedicated to improving life, announced today that industry veteran Shalini Sharp has joined the company’s Board of Directors. An established business leader in the life sciences industry, Sharp is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical. Sharp brings a wealth of experience in financial management and corporate strategy in rare disease, gene therapy and oncology.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shalini Sharp to the Precision BioSciences Board of Directors,” said Precision CEO Matt Kane. “Shalini’s broad understanding of the financial markets within rare disease and oncology will be invaluable as Precision progresses into clinical trials of its genome-edited product portfolio.”
“I am excited to work with Precision as the company develops new therapies based on its next generation gene editing technology, ARCUS, which has the potential to help patients achieve better outcomes,” said Sharp. “I have also been impressed by the scaled manufacturing process Precision has developed, which is a critical and sometimes overlooked factor.”
Compass Therapeutics Expands Leadership Team with Appointments of Chief Medical Officer and Chief Financial Officer
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Compass Therapeutics, a biotechnology company committed to the ambitious goal of comprehensively drugging the human immune system, today announced the appointment of veteran biopharma leaders Yu Liu, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, as chief medical officer and Lynne Sullivan as chief financial officer.
Dr. Liu, who most recently served as vice president and head of early clinical development at Pfizer, will oversee Compass’ development of a deep pipeline of immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease candidates. The company’s lead candidate, CTX-471, a fully human monoclonal antibody that induces remodeling of the tumor microenvironment and leads to immune-mediated destruction of solid tumors, is expected to enter the clinic in the first quarter of 2019. More than 15 therapeutic candidates are advancing through preclinical development and the research team continues to generate an exciting array of novel candidates through the company’s proprietary antibody development platform.
Ms. Sullivan, who most recently served as senior vice president, finance at Biogen, will lead financial planning and management at Compass at a time of significant growth for the company.
“Yu and Lynne bring essential skills and expertise to Compass as we prepare to take our lead program into the clinic in the coming months,” said Thomas Schuetz, M.D., Ph.D., the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer. “Their depth of experience and the strength of their leadership will serve us well, and we’re excited to welcome them aboard.”
Semma Therapeutics Expands Executive Leadership Team
Appoints David Lebwohl, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, David DiGiusto, Ph.D., as Chief Technology Officer and Ann Darda as Head of Human Resources
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Semma Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering the curative use of stem cells in regenerative medicine, today announced the appointments of David Lebwohl, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and David DiGiusto, Ph.D., as Chief Technology Officer and Ann Darda as Head of Human Resources.
“We are pleased to welcome Drs. Lebwohl, DiGiusto, and Ms. Darda to Semma,” said Bastiano Sanna, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President, Semma Therapeutics. “Cell therapy is exciting and challenging, and their combined experience and deep expertise in the field, both scientific and organizational, will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and soon expand to clinical proof of concept. I look forward to working closely with them.”
Dr. Lebwohl brings decades of successful drug development experience, joining Semma from Novartis, where he served as Senior Vice President and Franchise Global Program Head of the CAR T team. Dr. Lebwohl lead the development of Kymriah, resulting in the approval of the first BLA for a CAR T therapy worldwide. Before that, he served as Global Head of Oncology Clinical Development and Global Program Head for Afinitor, an oral mTOR inhibitor, within Novartis, where he was responsible for its development from Phase 1 through five NDA/MAA approvals.
Dr. DiGiusto has almost 30 years of experience in the scientific, clinical and regulatory aspects of cells as therapeutic agents. He has been instrumental in the creation of six GMP compliant biologics manufacturing facilities and was instrumental in the filing of over a dozen INDs. Dr. DiGiusto is a member of the NIH recombinant DNA advisory committee (RAC) and joins Semma from Stanford University.